In the Company of Wolves (SWAT, #3)(70)

“Get out of the way,” Liam growled as he altered his aim and pointed his weapon at Moe. “This is between Jayna and me. I know she’s the one who turned you against me. She’s the only one who has to die.”

Moe didn’t move. Neither did Joseph or Chris.

“She didn’t turn us against you,” Moe said. “You did that all on your own. And if you want to kill Jayna, you’re gonna have to go through us.”

Liam growled, but Jayna knew he’d shoot them without even thinking about it. She wanted to stand up to protect them, but she was terrified of leaving Megan’s side. She looked down at her friend and was surprised to find Megan looking up at her.

“Stop him,” she whispered. “Don’t let him hurt anyone else. Please.”

Fresh tears pricked Jayna’s eyes. Typical Megan. Always so selfless.

“This is all very touching,” Kostandin said. Stepping forward, he pointed his gun at Moe, then thumbed back the hammer. “But the she-wolf will not be helping anyone. Liam may have come here thinking he could take back his pack from her, but I came here to kill every last f*cking one of you.”

Jayna jumped up and lunged for Moe just as the kitchen door exploded off its hinges and disappeared into the night. Jayna was still trying to figure out what had just happened when a blur of movement caught her eye. Her heart surged as Eric’s scent filled the kitchen, but before she could even blink, he’d grabbed two of Kostandin’s men and disappeared outside with them.

Gunshots echoed in the night, making Jayna jump. Terrified shouts quickly followed, then a loud, menacing growl. After that, an eerie silence descended over the whole farm. Even the horses out in the barn seemed to be holding their breath.

Then, a single gunshot sounded from outside, and one of the Albanians over by the granite-topped island crumpled to the floor without a sound. The eight remaining Albanians aimed their guns at the row of windows over the sink and started shooting while Kos turned to fire at Moe.

Jayna knocked Moe to the floor, then threw herself at Chris and Joseph, taking them down too. She glanced over at Ethan and Kathryn. The couple was on the floor, wedged up against the other side of the island, Ethan shielding his wife with his body.

More bullets whizzed through the opening in the wall, sending Kos and his men scattering. Leaving the guys with Megan, Jayna used the distraction to herd Ethan and Kathryn toward the living room. Joseph and Moe showed up to take over for her before they got more than a few feet.

But then Kos caught sight of them. He shouted for two of his men to stay and finish them off. “The rest of you, come with me. We’re going to kill that * cop right now.”

Jayna froze. Eric may have been an alpha werewolf with SWAT training, but she was still terrified at the thought of him taking on Kos and the six Albanians by himself. But right then, she had to push her fears for Eric out of her head. If she didn’t find a way to get her pack and the Stones to safety, she wouldn’t be around long enough to worry about what happened to Eric.

But when she went back to grab Megan, all she found was a trail of blood leading out of the kitchen. For a moment, she thought Chris had gotten her to safety, but he was helping Moe and Joseph with Ethan and Kathryn. Crap.

That was when Jayna realized the front door was already wide open. She didn’t have to get a whiff of the two distinct scents leading in that direction to know Liam had taken Megan.

Heart in her throat, Jayna jumped up and ran for the door, ignoring the bullets zipping past her head and missing by mere inches.

“Get everybody somewhere safe,” she growled as she sped past Joseph and the other guys.

Jayna hoped the oldest werewolf in the pack was up for the task because all she could think about right then was saving Megan.

*

Becker had just cut the engine and was letting the Escalade coast down the Stones’ gravel driveway when he heard the gunshot. He threw open the door and was running for the house before the SUV came to a stop.

He slowed and dropped to one knee, reaching for his off-duty Sig 9mm he always kept clipped inside the top of his motorcycle boot. And swore. Before going undercover, he’d locked his weapon in his gun safe in his apartment, and in all the craziness of the past couple days, he hadn’t gotten it out.

Cursing his stupidity, he headed for the front door of the house, fully intending to kick it in and start tearing people apart with his bare hands. But one glance in the living room window stopped him. He could see Liam standing in the kitchen, a gun in his hand and a body on the floor, thick, red blood pooling beside it.

Becker’s heart stopped. He couldn’t see who’d been shot, but his mind was filling in the blanks.

Jayna.

He grabbed the doorknob and started to turn but forced himself to stop and take a breath. Even though everything in his body screamed for him to get the hell in there, he knew it wouldn’t do any good to rush in without a weapon or a plan.

As he paused, he realized the person on the floor wasn’t Jayna. He could hear Jayna’s heartbeat going nice and strong. Damn. It was Megan. She was too tiny to take a wound that serious. He could hear her heart beating, but it was weak.

Becker could hear Jayna and Liam arguing about something. He’d hoped his pack would get here in time to set up some kind of entry plan. But when he heard Liam say something about Jayna betraying him to that f*cking cop, quickly followed by a threat to kill her, Becker knew he had to move. There was nothing he could do on this side of the house though, so he darted around to the back.